The present invention relates to a heating apparatus, and more particularly, to a heating apparatus which incorporates a heating line and a soft matrix together. The example of the soft matrix can be a fabric or a matrix formed of a polymer materials, a synthetic resin, a rubber or the like. In daily, the heating apparatus of the invention can be implemented as an article for keeping human body warm, preventing from cold weather, insulating cold air, etc.
People living in the temperate and frigid zones certainly experience extremely cold seasons. These people mostly wear heavy clothes to keep their bodies warm under extremely cold environment. However, in fact, heavy clothes take less purpose of keep human boy for these people who act under extremely cold environment. Besides, heavy clothes also limit activity of these people. Therefore, technologies and skills regarding heating apparatuses for keeping human body warm have been developed and improved continuously. A typical heating apparatus utilizes a fabric to wrap up heavy heating coils or heating plates for transferring electronic energy into heat. If people want to make such heating apparatus effective, they have to carry the heating apparatus closely against their bodies to keep warm. Current heating apparatuses, such as electric blankets, hot compress pads and warming seat cushions, are mostly applied in the aforesaid principle. That is, an significant feature of conventional heating apparatuses is that a fabric wraps up heavy heating coils or heating plates.
The related prior arts regarding conventional heating apparatuses using fabric wrapping up the heavy heating coils or the heating plates refer to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,160,246, 6,111,233 and 5,792,714.
However, there are many disadvantages of the conventional heating apparatus, describing as follows: (1) conventional heating apparatuses are too heavy to carry; (2) conventional heating apparatuses are hard to be manufactured into wearable heating apparatuses; (3) because the conventional heating apparatuses have to be put closely against human bodies, between the heating apparatus and human bodies need one or more thick textile to protect human bodies from getting burned, therefore, that lowers the warming efficiency of the conventional heating apparatuses; (4) the heavy heating coils or heating plates in the conventional heating apparatuses are not soft enough to attach closely with the human bodies, therefore, that lowers the warming efficiency of the conventional heating apparatuses; (5) the power supply of the conventional heating apparatuses mostly utilize AC current with high power as power supply, therefore, the conventional heating apparatuses are dangerous to the aged users, cardiac, expectant mothers and children; (6) the conventional heating apparatuses mostly consume a large quantity of power, therefore, misusing of the conventional heating apparatuses often causes accidents; (7) the conventional heating apparatuses can not be folded, otherwise the folded heating coils or heating plates will induce local overheat to burn out the wrapping fabric and cause fire; (8) the materials of heating coils or heating plates easily degrade as time goes by, thus the heating coils or heating plates gradually turn hard, brittle and oxidized, therefore, the hard, brittle and oxidized heating coils or heating plates would crack under improper carry, and further, the cracked heating coils or heating plates would discharge accidentally when being used; and (9) the conventional heating apparatuses are mostly not water-resistant, therefore, the conventional heating apparatuses cannot be washed. Obviously, the conventional heating apparatuses with heating coils or heating plates suffers from low efficiency for keeping warm, limited application fields, and unsafety.
Accordingly, an objective of the invention is to provide a heating apparatus. In particular, the heating apparatus according to the invention utilizes metal yarns instead of heavy heating coils or heating plates. Thereby, the heating apparatus according to the invention can be applied in various articles for keeping human body warm, preventing from cold weather, insulating cold air, etc., e.g., warming clothes, electric blankets, hot compress pads, and curtains for insulating cold air.
In addition, recently some clothes on which some phase change materials are coated have been developed to increase wearing comfortability. The phase change materials on the clothes can absorb/release heat to adjust slightly the body temperature of the person wearing the clothes. Some prior arts regarding the clothes coating with phase change materials are disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,207,738 and 5,885,475. However, the phase change materials coated on the clothes absorb/release a small quantity of heat, and thus can adjust temperature only in a range of about xc2x12xc2x0 C. Moreover, the clothes coating with phase change materials can not provide wearers with function of adjusting temperature as their will. Therefore, in fact, the clothes coating with phase change materials can just make wearers comfortable, but can not keep wearers warm. Besides, the cost of the clothes coating with phase change materials is relatively high. Although the clothes coating with phase change material can be washed, the number of washing times regarding the clothes coating with phase change materials is limited. Obviously, so far there is still no wearable heating apparatus with well warming efficiency, low cost, adjustable temperature range as wearers"" will, convenience of washing as wearers wish.
Accordingly, another objective of the invention is to provide a wearable heating apparatus. In particular, the wearable heating apparatus according to the invention satisfies all needs mentioned above.
It is, therefore, an objective of the invention to provide a heating apparatus. Moreover, in particular, the heating apparatus according to the invention utilizes metal yarns instead of heavy heating coils or heating plates. Thereby, the heating apparatus according to the invention can be implemented as various articles for keeping human body warm, preventing from cold weather, insulating cold air, etc., for example, warming clothes, electric blankets, hot compress pads, and curtains for insulating cold air.
It is, therefore, another objective of the invention to provide a wearable heating apparatus. Moreover, in particular, the wearable heating apparatus according to the invention has well heating efficiency, low cost, adjustable temperature range as wearers"" will, convenience of washing as wearers wish.
According to the invention, the heating apparatus includes a soft matrix, a metal yarn and a power supply. The metal yarn is integrated with the soft matrix to construct a loop pattern by a textile process, and has a first end line and a second end line. The first end line and the second end line of the metal yarn both are detachably connected to the power supply. The power supply functions as a heating source of the heating apparatus. When the first end line and the second end line of the metal yarn is connected to power supply, the power supply supplies the metal yarn with electric energy such that the metal yarn then transfers the supplied electric energy into heat.
In an embodiment, the metal yarn substantially consists of Nixe2x80x94Cr alloy fibers. In another embodiment, the metal yarn substantially consists of stainless steel fibers. Obviously, the power consumption of the heating apparatus according to the invention is lower than that of the conventional heating apparatus. Moreover, the heating apparatus of the invention can eliminate static electricity, be carried with convenience, and provide well warming efficiency.
The advantage and spirit of the invention may be understood by the following recitations together with the appended drawings.